Chapter 361: Chapter 361 - Why do you hate me so much?
Flashback (Sixteen Years Ago)
"Sera, wake up. Come on, let’s go watch the warriors train," Daisy’s excited voice sliced right through Seraphine’s dreamy haze as a hand shook her shoulder.
Seraphine just burrowed deeper into her pillow, clutching it tight like it could shield her from the morning. "V, will you take me to see the goldfish again?" she murmured, still half-lost in sleep. A soft, sleepy smile curved her lips. "Can I pick more this time? You think your parents would get mad?"
The second those words slipped out, the gentle nudging stopped cold. The whole room went eerily quiet. Then came another shove, way harder than before.
Seraphine’s eyes snapped open. "Daisy, leave me alone already," she grumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes with a big yawn.
Daisy stood right beside the bed, staring down at her with narrowed eyes. "You keep talking about this V guy. Who even is that?"
"What are you doing in my room?" Seraphine shot back, still groggy and annoyed. "I just wanna sleep."
Daisy shrugged and flopped down on the edge of the bed like she owned the place. "Your mom said I could come over anytime I wanted. She even told me I could sleep over whenever."
Her gaze drifted around the room before landing on the little glass jar up on the shelf. "Your room’s pretty nice, but I like that golden fish way better."
Sleep vanished from Seraphine’s body in an instant. She shot upright so fast her blanket tumbled into her lap. "Don’t touch the goldfish," she said, her voice coming out sharper than she meant. "That belongs to me and V."
But she was too late. Daisy had already snatched the jar off the shelf and was holding it up, watching the tiny golden fish drift lazily inside.
"What?" Daisy rolled her eyes. "I’m just gonna play with it for a bit and put it right back."
"No." Seraphine scrambled off the bed, panic flooding her chest as her small hands balled into tight fists. "You can have anything else in here, just not that one. I promised V I’d keep it safe for us."
Daisy’s lips twisted into something ugly. "Is V that Voren kid?" The question came out ice-cold. "Did you sneak off to the Grimroot Pack again?"
Seraphine lifted her chin defiantly. "Yeah, I did."
"You need to stay away from him," Daisy snapped, hugging the jar tighter to her chest.
"Why?" Seraphine demanded, irritation flaring hot in her belly.
"Because I like him." Daisy’s eyes flashed with possessiveness.
The answer stung more than Seraphine expected. She frowned hard. "Well, Voren likes me," she said, a proud little smile breaking across her face. "Not you."
Daisy’s whole expression darkened, anger pouring off her in waves. Even though they were just kids, Seraphine could feel the heavy tension crackling in the air between them. For a long moment, neither of them said a word.
Then Daisy’s eyes suddenly lit up with a sly gleam that made Seraphine’s stomach twist with unease. "I’ve got something you might like even better," she said, flashing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Daisy kept one arm wrapped around the jar and slipped her free hand into her pocket. A second later, she pulled something out and tossed it onto the bed with a soft thud.
Seraphine’s heart plummeted. It looked like a snake, its body bristling with sharp thorns. A terrified gasp tore from her throat as she scrambled backward until her back slammed against the wall.
"No... get it away from me!" Her voice shook badly, and hot tears flooded her eyes. "What is that thing? Please, Daisy, take it away!"
Daisy burst into loud laughter, the sound only making Seraphine’s fear spike higher, twisting like a knife in her gut. "I’ve got a friend you really need to meet."
Every instinct screamed at Seraphine not to trust her, not even a little bit. "Daisy, don’t," she begged, her breathing coming fast and ragged. "Voren’s gonna come back. He promised me."
Her watery eyes locked desperately onto Daisy’s face. "And he never lies. Do you have any idea what he’ll do if he finds out you took our goldfish?"
For a split second, Daisy’s smug smile faltered. But then it snapped right back. "Stay away from Voren," she warned, her voice firm and mean. "You can have Ravyn instead. I’ll make him like you." She crossed her arms, lips curving in a smug little smirk. "It’s what the Alpha and Luna want anyway."
"I don’t want Ravyn," Seraphine shot back instantly, shaking her head so hard her hair flew around. The words came out without a shred of hesitation.
Before Daisy could fire anything else back, a flicker of movement by the doorway caught Seraphine’s eye. A woman stood there, a total stranger who definitely hadn’t been there moments before.
Seraphine froze, her skin crawling with dread. Something felt horribly wrong. The woman wasn’t smiling or moving. She just stood there, watching them with empty eyes.
"Daisy..." Seraphine whispered, her voice trembling with fear. "Who is that woman? Tell her to leave. Please."
The heavy, wrong feeling in the room pressed down even harder. The woman stayed completely silent. Seraphine blinked once, and just like that, the stranger vanished. The doorway was empty again.
Seraphine stared in total confusion. Had she imagined it? But before she could even process it, she realized Daisy was gone too. The room suddenly felt huge and hollow, and her fear exploded into full-blown panic when she saw no sign of the jar and the strange creature was gone too.
Seraphine bolted out of her bedroom, bare feet slapping against the wooden floor as she raced down the hallway. A wave of relief hit her when she finally spotted Daisy standing out on the porch.
"Sera, why are you making all that noise?" a familiar voice called from behind her.
Seraphine spun around so fast her hair whipped across her face. Hope lit up her eyes like fireworks. "Mom!"
Noelle stood there, looking more annoyed than worried. Seraphine rushed straight to her, her voice cracking with emotion. "Daisy took my goldfish. Tell her to give it back right now."
Noelle frowned, confusion crossing her face. "What’s wrong with that?"
The words hit Seraphine like a punch to the chest, squeezing her heart tight. Daisy’s laughter floated in from the porch as she held up the jar proudly. "See? Your mommy doesn’t even mind."
Seraphine stared at her mother, waiting, hoping, silently begging her to say something, to stand up for her, to make Daisy return it. But the silence stretched on, cutting deeper than any scolding ever could.
Tears spilled down Seraphine’s cheeks. Her lower lip trembled uncontrollably. "Mom..." The word came out broken and small. "Why do you hate me so much?"
